Just saw/heard her Grammys performance with Paul McCartney and Kanye West. Never did I think Rihanna would dare to (or have the pipes to) release such a stripped-back, acoustic song.

I think earlier in her career she was accused of being quite a mediocre singer backed up by big productions, costumes, style and good producers etc - that's always been what I've thought of her anyway, someone who's not an outstanding singer by herself but more a 'the whole package' artist. But her vocals on that song at the Grammys really impressed me, she's come on leaps and bounds.

Looking forward to her new album.

Here's the video of the performance, for anyone interested http://www.rap-up.com/2015/02/08/vid...ds-at-grammys/

Wow! The song really comes to life live doesn't it

She's definitely been putting mote effort into her vocals recently. Her recent performances of Diamonds and Stay have been really good too.

She was great!

Rihanna's vocals have been improving since the Rated r era. I think people forget that it was her vocals that got her signed, as both her and Jay Z both recall the audition that got her signed. But her vocals went out the window when she hit the big time. She has an unusual unique tone to her voice, and the fact she is bajan also gives her an edge in her voice because her accent comes out in her singing voice as well.

I agree but times she hadn't seemed to put much effort in when singing live but she's trying harder recently. Her tone is just killer. It sets her apart from many other artists.

I've said this about Rihanna for about 5 years.

When Unfaithful was first released in 2006, I thought the vocals on the studio version were so nasal and whiney. I also saw a live performance not long after the song was released and it was a really average live vocal performance. Maybe Rihanna was just having an off day back then.

My opinion changed drastically when Rihanna performed Unfaithful with Matt Cardle on The X Factor final 2010. That was the first time I'd heard Rihanna singing live and sounding incredibly strong.

So for me, Rihanna had improved significantly by 2010 compared to 2006.